Matthew Lynn

Is Starmer’s Trump trade deal the win he thinks it is?

Donald Trump shakes hands with British ambassador Peter Mandelson (Getty images)

Keir Starmer says it is a ‘fantastic, historic’ day after signing a trade deal with the United States, but is the agreement really something to celebrate?

Ten per cent tariffs, announced last month, still apply to most UK goods entering the US

The government is no doubt cock-a-hoop to be the first country to get a trade deal with President Donald Trump over the line, and there are a few wins: tariffs will come down for cars, steel, and potentially for pharmaceuticals, exempting UK exporters from the worst of the tariffs imposed on the oddly-named ‘Liberation Day’. But while, despite the dire warnings of some, we won’t be seeing chlorinated chicken on sale at Tesco, nor will the NHS be sold off in the unlikely event that anyone wanted to buy it, this is a deal that might have unintended consequences for Starmer’s government – and for Britain.

Ten per cent tariffs, announced last month, still apply to most UK goods entering the US.

Britain’s best politics newsletters

You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Comments

Join the debate, free for a month

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.

Already a subscriber? Log in